Lighthouses of the United States: Illinois

The U.S. state of Illinois has two well-known and historic light stations on Lake Michigan in the Chicago
area, plus several pierhead lights. In addition, the Chicago Department of
Water maintains lights on each of its four current or former water intake
cribs.

There is no Chicago area lighthouse preservation group, and preservation
attention has focused almost entirely on the well-known Grosse Pointe
Light in Evanston. The pierhead lights of Illinois and Indiana, however,
may need to be defended against demolition in the future. The Calumet
Harbor Light, technically in Indiana rather than Illinois, was demolished
in 1995.

Aids to navigation in Illinois are maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District, but ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS
World List of Lights. USCG numbers are from volumes 5 and 7 of the U.S.
Coast Guard List of Lights.

Date unknown (station established 1898). Active; focal plane 32 ft (10 m);
two white flashes every 5 s. 30 ft (9 m) round cylindrical "D9"
tower, painted white with one black horizontal band. Anderson has a photo, and Google has a satellite view and Justin Lessel's distant street view from the beach.
The National Museum of American History has a historic postcard
view of the original lighthouse, a "pagoda" style hexagonal
wood tower with lantern and gallery. This lighthouse was rebuilt in 1908 and replaced in 1938,
probably by a skeletal tower. Located at the end of the breakwater on the
northeast side of Waukegan harbor. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager:
U.S. Coast Guard. USCG 7-20335.

1889. Active; focal plane 36 ft (11 m);
green light occulting every 4 s. 35 ft (10.5 m) round cylindrical cast iron
tower with gallery, painted white with a broad green band covering the upper
third. Anderson's page has a good photo,
the Cardacis have a page with photos, and Google has a satellite
view and a distant street view from the beach. The lighthouse was relocated when the pier was extended in 1905.
The lantern and an attached fog signal building were removed after the light
station was nearly destroyed by fire in 1967. The Coast Guard has a historic
photo showing the lantern, and Pepper has a photo showing the entire
station before the fire. The lighthouse has been a favorite target for graffiti. Located at the end of Government Pier at the
foot of Madison Street in downtown Waukegan. Accessible by walking the pier.
Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-875;
USCG 7-20315.

1873 (O.M.
Poe). Reactivated (inactive 1941-1946, now maintained the City of Evanston);
focal plane 119 ft (36 m); 2 white flashes every 15 s. 113 ft (34
m) round brick tower encased in concrete, with lantern and gallery,
connected by a covered walkway to a 3-story brick keeper's house.
Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery red. The original 2nd
order H. LePaute Fresnel
lens (1850) is still in service (this is the only 2nd order lens
still in use on the Great Lakes). Two fog signal buildings. A photo is at right, Tom Gill has a
photo, Pepper's page has historical
information and outstanding photos, Anderson also has a fine page with good
photos,
Huelse has a historic postcard
view, and Google has a street view and a satellite
view. This is a famous lighthouse, recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The keeper's house is Chicago's only maritime museum; one
fog signal building serves as a visitor center while the other houses
a nature center. Congress conveyed the light station to the City of Evanston in 1935 when the station was automated. Since 1946 the city has also operated the light. A project in spring 2013 repaired and renovated the lighthouse. Located in Lighthouse Park on Sheridan Avenue at
the foot of Central Street in Evanston. Site open, museum and tower
open to guided tours Saturday and Sunday afternoons June through September.
Owner/operator: City of Evanston.
Site manager: Lighthouse
Park District. ARLHS USA-359; USCG 7-20190.

* Farwell Avenue Breakwater

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); red flash every
3 s. 36 ft (11 m) square skeletal tower. J. Heneghan has a closeup photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite
view. Located at the end of a groin at the foot of Farwell Avenue.
Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/operator/site
manager: City of Chicago. USCG 7-20165.

* Hollywood Avenue Breakwater

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 41 ft (12.5 m); red flash every
3 s. 36 ft (11 m) square skeletal tower, painted red. Andy Dinh has a photo, and Google has a satellite
view and Desislav Iliev's street view from the beach. Located at the end of a groin at the north end of Lakeshore
Drive, adjacent to Kathy Osterman Beach. Accessible by walking the
pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: City of Chicago.
USCG 7-20145.

1918. Active; focal plane 68 ft (21
m); quick-flashing white light. 47 ft (14 m) round cylindrical tower
with lantern and gallery; the light is displayed from a platform built
atop the lantern room. Fog horn (2 s blast every 20 s). A photo by Sandor Weisz is at right, GLLKA's blog has an article on this light, and the Cardacis have a page with photos.
The crib is the northernmost of several water intake structures off the lakefront. Located in the lake about 3 miles (5 km) off Montrose Harbor, on the
North Chicago waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower
closed. Owner/operator/site manager: Chicago
Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-1134; USCG 7-20135.

* Wilson Avenue Breakwater

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 41 ft (12.5 m); green flash every 3 s. Google has a satellite view and Joseph Peltier's street view taken from the lake. Located at the end of a breakwater protecting Montrose Harbor, a marina at the foot of Montrose Avenue. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: City of Chicago. USCG 7-20130.

* Montrose Breakwater (Montrose Beach)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 41 ft (12.5 m); red flash every 3 s. Bohao Zhou has a photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on the seawall at Montrose Beach, at the foot of Montrose Avenue. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: City of Chicago. USCG 7-20105.

* Belmont Harbor Inner

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 80 ft (24.5 m); red flash every
3 s. 72 ft (22 m) square skeletal tower with gallery. A distant view is
available, and Google has a street view and a satellite
view. Located on the north side of the entrance to Belmont Harbor,
a marina at the foot of Belmont Avenue. Site open, tower closed.
Owner/operator/site manager: City of Chicago. USCG 7-20095.

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 39 ft (12 m); quick-flashing
red light. 33 ft (10 m) square skeletal tower, painted white with
a red band at the top. Kyle VanMiddlesworth has a photo sphere, and Google has a street view and a satellite
view. Located at the end of a breakwater protecting the North
Avenue Beach, at the foot of Lasalle Drive. Accessible by walking
the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: City of Chicago.
USCG 7-20055.

1935. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 72 ft (22 m);
quick-flashing white light. Square cylindrical skeletal tower centered
atop a large, circular water intake structure. Pepper has a fine page for the lighthouse, the Cardacis have a page with photos, Kirk Kessler has a
2007 photo,
and the Coast Guard has a historic
photo. The NOAA Great Lakes
Environmental Reseach Laboratory maintains a weather station on
the crib; a NOAA webcam
shows the Chicago skyline. This light replaced a light
established in 1900 on the adjacent Carter Harrison Crib. (The Dever
Crib was built to replace the Harrison Crib, but because of increased
water demand the Harrison Crib remained in use until 1997.) Located
in the Lake about 3 miles (5 km) off the Chicago River entrance. Accessible
only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: Chicago
Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-1248; USCG 7-20040.

1893 (relocated to the end of the breakwater in 1918). Active; focal plane
82 ft (25 m); red flash every 5 s. 48 ft (14.5 m) round cast iron
tower with lantern and gallery, sandwiched between two 1-story buildings
(a fog signal building and a boathouse). Lighthouse painted white,
lantern roof black; the building roofs are red. The original 3rd order
Fresnel lens, exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, is still
in use. Keeper's quarters incorporated in the tower. Pat and Ellen Prather's
photo is at the top of this page, a fine 2007 photo
is available, Anderson has an excellent page with good photos,
Schultheiss has an excellent photo
by Dave Wobser, Marinas.com has aerial
photos, and Google has a satellite
view. A unique lighthouse: its design is similar to that of the
offshore sparkplug towers, but
this tower is taller. The lighthouse was originally built on a crib just inside the original end of the breakwater. It was relocated after the breakwater was extended, and
the present fog signal building and boathouse were added during relocation.
The tower was restored by the Coast Guard in 1997. In 2005 the lighthouse
became available for transfer under NHLPA.
The City of Chicago applied for ownership, and after an unusually
long period of consideration the Interior Department approved that
application in February 2009. Located at the south end of the north
harbor breakwater, about 1 km (0.6 mi) east of the Southeast Guidewall
Light. There are good views from the Navy Pier
or from harbor sightseeing cruises; the lighthouse can be seen distantly
from many places on the Chicago lakefront. Site and tower closed.
Owner/operator/site manager: City of Chicago. ARLHS USA-171; USCG 7-19960.

1912 (installed here in 1938). Active; focal plane 48 ft (14.5 m); white light, 3 s on, 3
s off. 30 ft (9 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower with upper half
enclosed, lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with a single
green horizontal band; lantern painted black. Kevin Oliver's photo
is at right, Wikimedia has Frank Buchalski's photo,
and Google has a satellite
view. This light marks the entrance to the Chicago River
and an inland waterway leading to the Mississippi River. The lighthouse was built in 1912 as the Kewaunee Pierhead Light in Wisconsin. It was replaced in Kewaunee in 1931, stored at the Milwaukee lighthouse depot, and then installed in Chicago in 1938. Located on
a guidewall on the south side of the river entrance, south of Navy
Pier in Chicago. Good views from the south side of Navy Pier. Site
and tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-930;
USCG 7-20000.

1909. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 61 ft (20 m); red flash
every 3 s. 50 ft (15 m) hexagonal skeletal tower lantern and gallery. Lighthouse
painted blue; lantern roof is silver-gray. Pepper also has a fine page for this lighthouse, the Cardacis have a page with photos, and Google has a distant street view from Jackson Park, but the crib is only a fuzzy spot in Bing's satellite view. The crib was the main water intake
for South Chicago for many years. On January 20, 1909, while it was under
construction, it was the scene of a disastrous fire that claimed the lives
of 60 workers. Visible distantly from the lakeshore in the Jackson Park-South
Shore area. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/operator/site manager: Chicago
Department of Water Management. ARLHS USA-1090; USCG 7-19870.

Illinois Waterway Lighthouses

Note: The Illinois Waterway connects Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River via the Calumet and Illinois Rivers. The waterway is 336 mi (541 km) in length and is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; navigational aids are maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.

1935. Inactive since 1945. 18 ft (5.5 m) round rubblestone tower; the light was shown through a square window at the top. No current photo available, and the tiny light is not seen in Google's satellite view. This small light was built by Elsie Longman (famous as "Steamboat Elsie") using stones from the abandoned Henry Lock and Dam. It served as a leading light for southbound vessels passing under the Henry Bridge (IL 18), and it was recognized as an official aid to navigation. It lapsed when Elsie died in 1945.Located on the west bank a short distance south of the bridge. Site status unknown. Owner/site manager: unknown.

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); two red flashes every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) tapered square concrete tower topped by a red triangular daymark and mounted on a round caisson. A photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. Between Chillicothe and Peoria the Illinois River widens into a series of broad basins. This is one of six caisson lights marking the channel through these basins. Located on the east side of the river channel off the southern tip of Chillicothe Island, about 1.5 mi (2.5 km) south of Chillicothe at river mile 179.0. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. USCG 5-6965.

Rome

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); two red flashes every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) tapered square concrete tower topped by a red triangular daymark and mounted on a round caisson. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. Located at river mile 177.4 on the east side of the river channel off the southern part of Rome. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. USCG 5-6975.

Sand Point

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) tapered square concrete tower topped by a green square daymark and mounted on a round caisson. No photo available, but Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located at river mile 176.6 on the west side of the river channel 0.8 mi (1.3 km) southwest of the Rome Light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. USCG 5-6980.

Detweiler Park (Mossville)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) tapered square concrete tower topped by a green rectangular daymark and mounted on a round caisson. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at river mile 170.9 on the west side of the river channel off Detweiler Park, on the south side of Mossville. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. USCG 5-7025.

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) tapered square concrete tower topped by a green square daymark and mounted on a round caisson. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at river mile 168.9 on the west side of the river channel a short distance north of Peoria Heights. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. USCG 5-7035.

Avery

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); two red flashes every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) tapered square concrete tower topped by a red square daymark and mounted on a round caisson. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the east side of the river channel off Peoria, about 1/2 mi (800 m) south side of the McClugage (US 24) Bridge. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. USCG 5-7060.

* IVY Club (Peoria Heights)

Date unknown. Active (privately maintained and unofficial); focal plane 60 ft (18 m); flashing green light. Lantern mounted atop a 3-story yacht club building. A photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos of the club, and Google has a good satellite view. Located on the west side of the Illinois River at 5102 North Galena Road in Peoria Heights. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Illinois Valley Yacht and Canoe Club.

Date unknown. Active (privately maintained and unofficial); focal plane about 17 ft (5 m); continuous white light. 17 ft (5 m) octagonal tower with lantern, painted in a red and white checkerboard pattern. In front of the lighthouse is an official light on a post (green flash every 6 s). The Peoria Journal Star has a photo by Fred Zwicky (second photo on the page), a distant photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater of the Eastport Marina, on the east side of the Illinois River (here pooled as Lake Peoria) at river mile 164.3 in East Peoria. Site status unknown, possibly open; tower closed. Owner/site manager: City of East Peoria. USCG 5-7072.1.

Sangamon County (Lake Springfield) Lighthouse

Michaud (Lake Springfield)

2009. Active (privately maintained and unofficial); focal plane 30 ft (9 m); flashing white light. 30 ft (9 m) octagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; the lantern roof is red. A photo and a closeup are available, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was designed and built by Larry and Loretta Michaud as a replica of the Cheboygan Crib Light (see Michigan Eastern Lower Peninsula). Located at the tip of sharp peninsula projecting into Lake Springfield just east of the I-55 bridge, on the south side of Springfield. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: private.

2014. Active (privately maintained and unofficial); focal plane about 40 ft (12 m); flashing white light. 30 ft (9 m) round steel tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with a blue band at the top; the lantern is black. A photo is available, but the lighthouse is too new to appear in Google's satellite view. The lighthouse was built by the Hope Light Project, a charity dedicated to the fight against cancer. Prefabricated by the Parker Custom Machine Shop in Metropolis, the lighthouse was installed and activated in June 2014. Located in Dorothy Miller Park at Metropolis. Site open, tower closed. Operator/site manager: Hope Light Foundation.

Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 ft (9 m); three red flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 6 s. Approx. 4.5 m (15 ft) skeletal mast carrying a diamond-shaped daymark painted in a red and white checkerboard pattern. Jim Frazier has a photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. No one would call this modest beacon a lighthouse, but it marks a crucial spot: the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Located at the end of Fort Defiance Road off US 60/62 in Cairo. Site open. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Illinois State Parks (Fort Defiance State Park). USCG 5-17670.

1911. Inactive. Approx. 60 ft (18 mi) 3-story stone water intake tower mounted on a concrete pier. The tower is unpainted. David Hinkson's photo is at right, Erin and Lance Willett have a good photo, the City of St. Louis has photos of the two towers, and Google has a satellite view. This is the younger of two historic water intake towers; the older (1894) tower is across the state line in Missouri. The towers are built in the rapids of the Mississippi River, known as the Chain of Rocks. Since 1953, the the rapids have been bypassed by the Chain of Rocks Lock and Canal. However, during the late 1800s and early 1900s the navigation channel passed between the two intake towers, so both were lit; for many years they were also staffed. Located about 1000 ft (300 m) off the east bank of the river and 250 ft (80 m) south of the old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which has been renovated for use by walkers and bicyclists. Accessible only by boat; there is an excellent view from the old bridge. Site open, tower closed.

St. Louis Water Intake #2 and Chain of Rocks Bridge, Granite City, April 2006
Wikimedia public domain photo by David Hinkson

* Quinsippi

Around 1972. Destroyed in 2015. Approx. 25 ft (7.5 m) round brick tower with lantern mounted atop a stone base (a former bridge pier). Lighthouse painted white. A photo is available (halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Quinsippi Island, on the east side of the river just above downtown Quincy, shelters a small boat channel that leads to several marinas. The light was donated by the Moorman Manufacturing Company, which had built it for a promotion. The light failed in late 2011, but the park district repaired it in 2012. Unfortunately, a windstorm blew the lighthouse off its stone base in July 2015, and the park district has no funds to restore it. In 2016 the Quincy Boat Club was working on raising $5000 to replace the lighthouse. Located at the end of Quinsippi Island Road on the east side of the island near its southern tip. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Quincy Park District.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Calumet
Harbor (1) (1853-55; reactivated ca. 1873-76). Lighthouse Digest has a November 2015 article with a historic photo. The modern
light is across the state line in Indiana.

Two-Mile
Crib (1865-1900), Chicago. This crib was replaced by the Carter
Harrison Crib (see above under William E. Dever Crib). Anderson has images of the 1866 lighthouse and a second lighthouse in 1910.

Fabyan (around 1910), on the Fox River in Geneva, was active but it
is not on navigable water. A closeup photo is available, and Bing has a satellite view. In September 2014 workers intending to refurbish the lighthouse found it in such poor condition that it had to be removed; it is to be rebuilt.

Grafton (2007), on the Mississippi River, is not an active aid to navigation. Linda Martin has a photo, Ron White has a photo, and Bing has a satellite view. The lighthouse symbolizes the village's resurrection after being devastated by a 1993 flood.